rebirth
by Lioneh
Summary: Deep within the darkness, a heart rests in waiting, bound to the shadows. Will a change in the outside world and a father's will release the tightly bound shackles of entrapment? Half Terra-centric. Very, very light Terraqua. One shot. No yaoi. Post-KHII.


Oh, oh man, Birth by Sleep has taken over my mind. O_o; I mean, I started liking Kingdom Hearts eight years ago, and to return to the fandom all obsessed again years later…is weird.

But, uhm, anyway. There are spoilers here. Duh.

Because I seriously loathe what happened to Terra at the end of the game, and I desperately want some way for him to be saved, I came up with the story below. :D

Please, please don't kill me if there are inconsistencies. I am so rusty with KH it's not funny. D|

Anyway. Enjoy the Terra-ness? :'D

* * *

Darkness.

Tendrils of inky blackness, shrouding his memory, obscuring time.

Fingers of the night, circling his form, restraining him, consuming him, never letting go.

Everything was eternity, but contained within a single moment. Years felt like seconds. Days felt like months. A moment could last a week, a minute a fortnight.

Time was naught. Nothing. It was completely irrelevant in depths of one's heart.

And everything was cold.

The frigid touch of deathly shadows had long since turned his heart numb in whatever essence of moments passing he had. The core of his conscious remained in suspension, locked away in the depths of another yet concealing the will of a third.

…but sometimes, when the fog of darkness receded, names formed.

Their remembrance could have lasted a mere second or dragged on forever, but there were two that never left.

Two names, permanently engraved in his heart.

One of the ocean, and the other of wayward winds.

Companions from another life. Of this much, he was certain. Even in the shadows of the deepest nights, this singular memory would surface, and somehow keep his heart from being crushed under the weight of shackles.

These restraints that held him, he knew - they belonged to an enemy.

A foe; a consciousness of utter blackness.

Such a negative force exerted by this spirit held him down. A force of anger, domination, selfishness, and determination.

And yet, his comfort was found even in the midst of this lonely solitude of fate.

Occasionally, from the haze, a voice would stir.

It came from deep within the depths of his heart, where the mind of another rested, waiting.

_Terra._

It startled him, because that voice was the one only who remembered his worldly name. So many times would he drift off into a realm of complete and utter nothingness, and barely a thought would register.

But the voice always brought him into self awareness again; that fatherly accent, those firm words, and yet…such a compassionate tone.

But, as of late, whatever connections to consciousness he had were slowly being severed.

The voice was beginning to fade.

He could feel his heart slipping into eternal darkness, where not even the struggling light of his contained soul could find any kind of release from the inky shadows.

The cold touch was turning into the glacial pulls of death.

And even those names to which his heart clung were beginning to slip from his mind.

_Aqua…_

_Ventus…_

But, as the fragments of light that composed whatever was left of him began to falter, struggling under the tugs of darkness, the lost voice of comfort within him spoke.

_Terra._

"Master…?"

Confusion reeled inside of him. A new memory, or one long forgotten, surfaced on the waters of his heart.

Matching to the voice, was a face. It was indistinct at first, but recollections stirred inside him, the dust drifting off the pages of memories once bound and sealed inside the book of his past life.

"Master Eraqus?"

The voice of his heart echoed into blank nothingness.

_Listen carefully, my son._

That voice.

It _was _Eraqus. His father figure. His hero from a former life. From where or when, however, still remained unclear.

"I am," he pleaded.

_Right now, even as we converse, a great battle rages on in the outside world, beyond our confinements._

A battle? Where? He knew the darkness had been growing, leaving him on the edge of an eternal abyss as the anger buried within accumulated. Was it he, the heart who kept him trapped, raging in combat?

_I believe that is the case, Terra. The being of darkness who confines you, and hence myself, has awakened once more. The force you feel, the anger that oppresses you, is the result of his aggressive actions. _

"Who keeps my heart trapped, Master?"

_The memories evade me, my son. If they come to you, they will come to me. I suspect more will be revealed in time, if the captor of our hearts loses his ground._

His felt a squeeze around his heart in anticipation, his consciousness longing to remember his past, his identity, _his friends. _If he could recall the face of that voice, his Master, surely _something_, after what seemed such a long time of empty nothingness, would reveal itself.

Suddenly, the atmosphere of darkness around him shifted.

And in that moment, another memory slipped free of shackles of darkness holding him.

That heart, that _man_ who kept him trapped. His name, his face, stared into his soul.

"Master-"

_Xehanort. That fool of a man… it seems memories are finding their way back to you, and henceforth to me. I am afraid I haven't much time. _

"…what?"

_Terra, what I am about to ask you requires your complete compliance. You need to accept what I am going to request of you._

What could Eraqus possibly mean? Emotions of worry coursed through him, but he forced himself to ask.

"What must I accept?"

_Xehanort is nearing his end. In that moment when defeat strikes him for the final time he will descend into nothingness, lost to the realm of the outside world, never to cause trouble again. I imagine he will try to ensnare your heart in his defeat and pull you with him into death. But that will not be the case, Terra._

"What-?"

_Do not argue. When that time comes, both your heart and his will be exposed. It is time I atoned for my mistakes all those years ago. I am willing to give up my heart's power unto yours, so you can return to the realm of light. _

"But Master Eraqus, I don't-"

In that instant, a starburst of light pulsed from his heart, shattering the claws of darkness that had ensnared him for so long a time. Eraqus - he was using the last of his confined strength to-

_Now go, Terra! Freedom, long deserved, will be yours!_

"But you-"

_Don't disobey your master! I deserve this fate, and I will not bestow death on you for protecting me for so long. Go! _

In that singular moment, a blinding light pierced the darkness surrounding him, disintegrating the inky shadows that he was so familiar with.

"…_this light, it's so warm…"_

Light.

Nothing but pure, glorious radiance.

And…

…something else.

Was it…pain? Oh, _yes, _it was.

He felt _exhausted. _And for some reason, despite the discomfort causing his limbs to ache, his heart was rejoicing.

This was a real, physical sensation. Something he hadn't experienced since his body was lost to darkness, all those years ago…

Which could only mean-

"…_is that…?"_

He felt his brows furrow with confusion at the new voice, his skin tingling with pins and needles as cold air began to sink through his pores. The tone was feminine, but it sounded so far off amidst the foreign yet intensely familiar sensations he was experiencing. The feeling of hair brushing against his face, the breeze wisping against his arms…

"…_Terra?"_

His heart jumped, jolted out of his distractions. Where was he? Who said his name?

"…Terra!"

In than instant he heard the pounding of frantic footsteps, the sound of rapid breathing, the intake of a choked gasp. Trembling arms found themselves sliding underneath his back, around his shoulders, across his torso. To his surprise, he felt the steady shudders of somebody crying against his chest, their head buried against his shirt.

"T-Terra…is it really…?"

_That voice._

Shock sent a shiver down his spine. He knew that voice so well. He had heard it ever since he was a young boy, when the training first began. How could it possibly be…?

Groaning, he opened his mouth to speak, desperate to know the truth.

"…Aqua?"

* * *

Her lips formed into a shaky smile, tears streaming down her delicate face as she stared into Terra's cobalt eyes.

He had just spoken her name.

After twelve years of being silenced by the darkness, _he remembered._

She could scarcely believe it.

Terra was _here_, and his physical appearance hadn't changed at all since she'd met with him at the crossroads, all that time ago.

Instinctively, her hand tightened around the points of her wayfinder, fingers trembling under the emotions she was succumbing to.

"I-I thought I'd never see you again," she managed to mumble, wishing her voice held her usual confidence. She had never hoped the successors of the Keyblade would see her in such a mess.

But it couldn't be helped, particularly when Terra managed a tired smile.

"And…here we are…Aqua," he breathed, so relieved to see that kind, familiar face looking at him with tears of joy.

But now that he had returned to the realm of light, he was beginning to feel a raging curiosity burn inside of him. As the time elapsed since Xehanort's possession of his body, he had lost all hope of returning to his friends. The darkness had consumed him and ensnared him, leaving him with only their names and the voice of his master as his source of comfort. What had happened to cause Xehanort to fall? _How-_

"An unbreakable connection," she whispered, bringing her wayfinder into the dim light of their surroundings.

"Aqua!"

Terra blinked in confusion, hearing a third voice ring out. Who else was here?

"Is he okay?"

A fourth voice?

In response to these calls Aqua tilted her head upwards, her eyes meeting the gaze of two individuals Terra couldn't see.

"Yes," she swallowed, trying to keep her emotions at bay with a wobbly smile, "he is."

In the next second, two boys that Terra had once seen as children were kneeling beside him, smiles and grins plastered on their faces. _I passed that boy the power, didn't I?_

"Sora…Riku…" Aqua murmured, "I owe both of you so much. Thank you."

_Riku…_ Terra's eyes widened in realisation. It _was_ him.

"Well, we had to defeat Xehanort," Sora shrugged, his tone matter-of-fact as he ran a hand through his messy spikes. "There wasn't really a choice in that, you know."

Aqua let herself laugh, ruffling the boy's hair with a free hand as if he were still a small child.

"Is Xehanort…is he gone for good?" Terra roused himself to ask, wishing he had the strength to move.

"It's a long, tiresome story," Riku quipped, examining his Keyblade, "but we believe so."

"And it wasn't easy, let me tell you," Sora sighed, swinging his arms as he fell backwards onto the dusty ground, "this place is shot to heck."

"While you were trapped, Terra…" Aqua murmured, "Xehanort caused more trouble than you could know. When I was freed from the realm of darkness by Sora, he told me everything he knew about Xehanort, and what he had done since the day you were lost."

"He tried to find Kingdom Hearts again and again, and his final attempt left all the worlds in unimaginable danger. Even if your heart was lost forever, I fought by Riku and Sora just to see his malice end. I still don't know how you survived so long, locked away." Aqua looked down at him, her eyes betraying the curiosity she was trying to hide.

"It was the Master," Terra mumbled, his eyebrows drawing together in sadness.

"Master Eraqus!" Aqua sucked in a shocked breath. "How?"

"When I was…tricked into defeating him," Terra shifted, wanting to turn his face away to hide the guilt, "and he was struck down by Xehanort…his heart was not lost to darkness. He found refuge in mine."

"The Master was concealed in your heart?" She looked puzzled, but her expression cleared.

"When you three defeated Xehanort, the Master used his heart to free mine and let me return," he finished, closing his eyes from fatigue. _Eraqus…thank you, father._

Aqua found herself disguising a choked sob, one that was formed both the joy of having Terra back and the nature of the Master's heart.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled into her sleeve as she wiped her eyes, "so much has been going on the last few weeks…"

"Don't worry, Aqua! We understand," Sora grinned, patting her shoulder. She managed a weak smile in return.

"Are you well enough to sit up, Terra?" Aqua inquired, trying her best to remain composed. "Here, I'll lend you a hand."

Reaching up, Terra laced his fingers through hers and struggled to pull himself into a sitting position, his surrounds spinning through his vision. …_where is this place?_

"Where are we…?" He trailed off, eyes discovering the answer they were about to give.

"The graveyard," Aqua whispered, her face lowering away from his gaze under the weight of her memories.

_The Keyblade graveyard…_

Terra's eyes widened in recognition, his fingers twitching in the need to form his own Keyblade. The impulse, unlike normal, refused to summon his old weapon.

"Terra," Riku mumbled, seeing the brunette's confusion, "maybe this will jog your memory." Carefully, he slipped his own Keyblade into Terra's grip.

"As long as you have the makings…" Riku gave a sly smirk, "…then though this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall be made again."

"No oceans, no borders, contain you now, friend…" Terra murmured, a smile forming on his face as he handed the sleek weapon back to its owner. He then flexed his right forearm, flicking his wrist to feel the familiar electrical static of his Keyblade, the Ends of the Earth, forming in his grasp. He couldn't help but grin, memories of the past flooding back into his mind at the solid feel of the weapon in his palm.

"Now," he said, more strongly, "where's Ventus?"

"Hopefully where I've left him all this time," Aqua whispered, her eyes looking forlorn. _Terra, and I…we're sorry Ven. We'll wake you up as soon as we can. _"It's about time he was awoken."

"What, he's being a hopeless sleepyhead again?" Terra quipped, trying to humour the situation.

Aqua laughed, surprised at herself. "Yes, but not for much longer. His heart was wavering on the edge of life after the X-blade was destroyed…but something tells his heart was and is being safeguarded somehow."

"Well, wherever his heart is," Terra smiled, "we'll find it." He used his free hand to rummage through his pocket, drawing out his own wayfinder in the seconds following.

"We're going with you." Sora said indignantly, clutching a particular lucky charm in his own palm. "I am who I am, because of you, Aqua, and Ven."

'Well, what are we waiting for?" Riku scuffed the dirt of the earth with his shoe.

"Let's go, Terra." Aqua's lips turned upwards in a warm smile as she brought herself to her feet. She offered her hand towards his.

The oldest Keyblade wielder smiled ruefully, placing his left hand into hers, causing their wayfinders to jangle together .

"For Ven."

_We're coming for you, Ven._

_And we'll all be together; you, me, and Aqua._

_Our unbreakable connection._

_

* * *

_

Oh man. Oh man. I am so hoping this crazy story actually makes some kind of sense. I was reading all the Ansem reports, rechecking all my facts on the end of Birth by Sleep, etc. etc. just to make sure I was sticking to canon as close as possible. I hope the KHWiki does not lie in places, or I'm going to feel so stupid. =_=

Yeah. Most of this was kind of…speculation as to how Terra could have survived and possibly returned.

Because I adore him. D:

And I absolutely hate what Xehanort did to him.

Speaking of Xehanort, I read somewhere that Nomura wanted a final battle with the final, complete Xehanort, reborn after his heartless and nobody were defeated. So that's his context here.

But despite my worries, I like how this turned out. I think I'm getting a feel for writing characters like Terra and Aqua, and hopefully Ven when I write other random one shots. XD;

Uhh, anyway, I hope you enjoyed it? :D Reviews are welcome, as always.

**Disclaimer: Terra, Aqua, Ventus, Master Eraqus, Xehanort, Sora, Riku and everything else in Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square Enix. **

- Lioneh


End file.
